Don’t rush dam study, town tells state
ESOPUS, N.Y. >> The town is asking the state Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a 60-day extension of the public comment period regarding a study of possibly removing the Eddyville Dam on the Rondout Creek.
Town Supervisor Shannon Harris said this week that residents need more time to raise concerns and provide information about the historic dam.
“It has come to our attention that there is confusion regarding the process, impact and intent of the habitat restoration program,” she said.
Among questions the town would like included in a study of the possible dam removal are the upstream and downstream effects of the project; how changing tide levels, flooding from heavy rains, and storm surge resiliency would impact property owners; what the impact would be on historic and aesthetic values in the Eddyville area; and how fish migratory patterns would change.
The dam removal is being proposed as part of the Hudson River Habitat Restoration Project, which aims to remove barriers to fish movement.
“Dam removal restores a stream’s recreational and natural values,” sa sumary of the proposal reads. “Dams fragment sensitive stream ecosystems, degrade water quality and negatively impact native fish species like brook trout, American eel and river herring.”
Fran Dunwell, Hudson River Estuary coordinator for the Department of Environmental Conservation, emphasized that the comment period, which is to expire this week, is only about information that would go into a study and that there has been no decision made about removing the dam. She said also said the dam can’t be removed without the consent of its owner, Ethan Rapp.
“Our department is not advocating to remove the dam,” Dunwell said at Tuesday’s meeting of the Esopus Town Board. “We are advocating for studies that would identify whether or not dam removal would have habitat benefits. Obviously, any habitat benefits would need to be consistent with community needs.”
Dunwell said historical information about the dam would be gathered as part of the study. It is believed to have been built in the 1790s to power a mill used in fabric manufacturing.
The 3.6 miles of Rondout Creek between the dam and Hudson River are part of a tidal estuary. Water behind the dam comes both from the Rondout Reservoir and the Wallkill River, which merge about 3.5 miles upstream, near the Sturgeon Pool.